Dracula (Novel Character)
Prince Vlad Tepes III, also a count, is a centuries-old vampire, sorceror and Transylvanian nobleman, a Székely descended from Attila the Hun. He inhabits a decaying castle in the near the Carpathian Mountains. He exudes a veneer of aristocratic charm which masks his unfathomable evil. Birth Vlad was born in 1431 to Vlad Tepes II. Mortal Life In his youth, Vlad studied the black arts at the academy of Scholomance in the Carpathian Mountains, overlooking the town of Sibiu (also known as Hermannstadt) and became proficient in alchemy and magic. Later he took up a military profession in the Order of the Dragon, defeating the Turks by impaling them and winning the name "Dracula" meaning "dragon." Dracula returned home to find his wife, Elisabeta, having commited suicide after hearing false reports of his death. Enraged at the notion of his wife being eternally damned as a suicide, a fate of which he is reminded by a priest, Dracula desecrates his chapel and renounces God, declaring that he will rise from the grave to avenge Elisabeta with all the powers of darkness. Although forever missing Elisabeta, Dracula went on to have many brides, although his main wife was Princess Cneajna of Transylvania, with whom he had one son, Mihnea the Bad. Princess Cneajna commited suicide in 1462, and Dracula died in 1476, rearrising as a vampire. Vampire Life When he returned as a vampire, Dracula made a covenant with his son Mihnea. In exchange for the help of the eldest born son, he would not reak havoc upon the people. Mihnea, terrified, accepted the pact, and went on to be Dracula's servent, after Dracula drank his blood. The covenant applied to all the people of the nearby villaige. As long as they did what he commanded, immediately and without question, he would leave them be. Dracula continued the pact for generation after generation, eventually taking the role as "Great-Uncle Vlad", to not arouse suspicion at his longevity. When Dracula's great-great-great-grandson, Bogdan, took the surname Tsepesh, a spelling varient of Tepes, Dracula followed suit. The pact went on unchallenged until Dracula's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson, Petru Tsepesh, refused to turn over his oldest son, Stefan to the covenant. At that time Dracula shape-shifted into wolf form and killed Stefan, only six at the time, right in front of his five-year-old brother Arkady. Petru, heartbroken, blamed the family's dog, Wolf, so as not to scare Arkady out of accepting the pact, and killed their dog. Arkady Tsepesh was taken under the pact, with Dracula drinking his blood, but Arkady was brainwashed into believing the best still of Vlad. Arkady moved to England, and married Mary Windham. Then, while his wife was pregnant, he recieved news that his father had died. Arkady and Mary returned to Transylvania, and attended the funeral of his father, whom Dracula had killed so Arkady could become his new, younger servant. Vlad also begins the seduction of Arkady's sister, Zsuzsanna Tsepesh, whom he had join him in vampiracy as a bride. Arkady learned the truth of his charming uncle's secret, and attempted to run off with his wife and newborn son, Stefan Tsepesh II. Dracula chased after the family, until Mary was forced to shoot her husband to draw the count off of her child. Dracula turned Arkady to prevent his death, and Arkady swore to destroy him. Eventually, Mary remarried to Jan Van Helsing, and raised Stefan and the Van Helsings adopted son, Abraham, who are raised to believe they are blood brothers until the covenant draws Stefan to Dracula's castle. Stefan and Abraham attempt to kill Dracula, but fail. Years later, Abraham Van Helsing attempts alone to destroy the count, failing. Defeat Dracula finally acts on a long contemplated plan for world domination, and infiltrates London to begin his reign of terror. He summons Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, to provide legal support for a real estate transaction overseen by Harker's employer. Dracula at first charms Harker with his cordiality and historical knowledge and even rescues him from the clutches of his three bloodthirsty brides. In truth, however, Dracula wishes to keep Harker alive just long enough for his legal transaction to finish and to learn as much as possible about England. Dracula then leaves his castle and boards a Russian ship, the Demeter, taking along with him boxes of Transylvanian soil, which he needs in order to regain his strength. During the voyage to Whitby, a coastal town in northern England, he sustains himself on the ship's crew members. Only one body is later found, that of the captain, who is found tied up to the ship's helm. The captain's log is recovered and tells of strange events that had taken place during the ship's journey. Dracula leaves the ship in the form of a wolf. Soon the Count is menacing Harker's devoted fiancée, Wilhelmina "Mina" Murray, and her vivacious friend, Lucy Westenra. There is also a notable link between Dracula and Renfield, a patient in an insane asylum compelled to consume insects, spiders, birds, and other creatures — in ascending order of size — in order to absorb their "life force". Renfield acts as a kind of motion sensor, detecting Dracula's proximity and supplying clues accordingly. Dracula begins to visit Lucy's bed chamber on a nightly basis, draining her of blood while simultaneously infecting her with the curse of vampirism. Not knowing the cause for Lucy's deterioration, her companions call upon the Dutch doctor Abraham Van Helsing, the former mentor of one of Lucy's suitors. Van Helsing soon deduces her condition's supernatural origins, but does not speak out. Despite an attempt at keeping the vampire at bay with garlic, Dracula entices Lucy out of her chamber late at night and drains her blood, killing her. Van Helsing and a group of men enter Lucy's crypt and kill her reanimated corpse. They later enter Dracula's residence at Carfax Abbey, destroying his boxes of earth, thus depriving the Count of his ability to refuel his powers. Dracula leaves England to return to his homeland, but not before biting Mina. Eventually, the group of heroes — Lord Godalming, Van Helsing, Dr. Seward, Jonathan Harker, Mina and Quincey Morris — track the Count back to Transylvania and, after a vicious battle with Dracula's gypsy bodyguards, destroy him. Dracula's death is shorn of the rituals enjoined by Van Helsing. His throat is cut by Jonathan Harker's kukri knife and his heart pierced by Quincey Morris's Bowie knife while he is being transported in his coffin en route to Castle Dracula. Dracula, it is suggested, may rise again. Personality Although he usually dons a mask of cordiality to deceive others, Dracula often flies into fits of rage when his plans are interfered with. When his three brides attempt to seduce and consume Jonathan Harker, Dracula physically assaults one and ferociously berates them for their insubordination. Though he is capable of forming romantic ties, he freely admits that they are temporary. Dracula is very passionate about his warrior heritage, emotionally proclaiming his pride to Harker on how the Székely people are infused with the blood of multiple heroes. He does express an interest in the history of the British Empire, speaking admiringly of its people. He has a somewhat primal and predatory world view; he pities ordinary humans for their revulsion to their darker impulses.